Gypsy Folktales (Paperback)

~ (Author) "This story and the four stories that follow were told by Najma Ayashah, a Banjara from Hyderabad who has been living in New York City..." (more)
Key Phrases: Sam Patra, Abu Hassan, Mouse King (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In gathering Gypsy tales from around the world, freelance writer Tong asserts that the preservation of Gypsy culture, heretofore dependent on its oral tradition, is imperiled by both the assimilation and persecution of Gypsies, and by competition to storytelling from more modern vehicles for entertainment (such as the TV and VCR). Thus these narratives, many of which, according to Tong, are recorded here for the first time, bolster Gypsy tradition even as they acquaint the reader with an exotic and misunderstood people. Particularly interesting are Gypsy treatments of universal myths; in a Transylvanian version of the parable of the Flood, the rains are brought on when a peasant woman grills a fish that her husband had been instructed, by an old man, to leave untouched for a week. Another legend has Gypsies bringing water to the crucified Jesus, who blesses them: " 'You will eat, but you will not work.' " One disappointment is the random organization: stories are ordered "as they might be told during an evening at someone's home" rather than by theme or region. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Including stories collected from New York to India and older published tales as well as recently collected oral ones, Tong has given us a marvelous anthology that is more than an anthology. It is no small task to produce a collection of folktales that is true to the tale tellers but also accessible to general readers and acceptable to scholars. Tong has accomplished these three goals, at the same time giving a vivid sense of the variety of the gypsy oral art. She also provides useful background information on the Gypsies and introduces each tale with cogent commentary that allows the reader to appreciate them all the more. As she notes in her introduction, the life of Gypsies is often grim; the tales we read here surely show human creativity in even the grimmest circumstances.
- David S. Azzolina, Univ. of Pennsylvania Libs., Philadelphia
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harvest Books; 1st edition (April 19, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156379899
• ISBN-13: 978-0156379892
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #436,547 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good collection of tales and stories., June 18, 2001

By	"caffeinewoman" (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gypsy Folktales (Hardcover)

In reading "Gypsy Folktales" by Diane Tong, it is important to keep in mind this is a collection of stories and histories as told to Ms. Tong by individuals. Some may have more historic or folkloric significance than others. That said, many of the stories may seem familiar--many they illustrate themes common in folkloric tales across cultures and the oral tradition. Some stories reflect a blend of local flavor and the rich oral tradition of the Rom.

The stories are short and entertaining to read. For my purposes, I have found this book a good source of plotlines for storytelling and other performance.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars amusing tales collected from gypsies, July 29, 2000

By A Customer

these tales passed down by oral tradition are a fun and interesting read. some teach morals, others are just for amusement. though a few stories you may find similar to other fairy tales you may have read previously, most are original in content. i thoroughly enjoyed this book and i hope that you may too...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Tales, But Reinforcing Roma Stereotypes, July 13, 2008

By	S. Hindman (Berkeley, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Gypsy Folktales (Hardcover)

I bought this book so that I could read Roma/Gypsy folktales to my Roma adoptive daughter. The stories, from many different countries, seemed in theory like a wonderful means of teaching a Romani child about her culture and celebrating its richness. The fascinating aspects of Romani culture definitely come through in these tales. They are short and easy to read and the descriptions of their origins are extremely interesting. I've never come across a book as comprehensive, so this collection is truly unique and special in what it offers, a huge array of folktales from Gypsy/Roma culture around the world.

My hesitation in recommending this book of folk tales is that many of the stories reinforce negative and inaccurate stereotypes about Roma people, prejudices that human rights activists and Romani people are working hard to eliminate around the world. For every bit of enjoyment the tales bring, along with that, they carry a lot of baggage!

I especially would caution Roma adoptive parents, or Roma parents, in reading these to children without previewing them, because its difficult to know from story to story which of these might be harmful to your child, and which will not. You have to read each story, as if you were showing an R rated movie (in the US) to your child, ready to "turn it off" or "skip through" the bad parts. This is stressful!

Having said that, my seven year old daughter and I spent night after night reading these tales together, and she seemed to truly enjoy every minute of it. The humor of the stories and the positive stereotypes in the tales that I screened and allowed, amused and delighted my daughter.

Perhaps for non-Roma children it would work to insert a caveat before starting to read them, letting them know in a simple way that not all of the ways Roma/Gypsy people are portrayed is fair or accurate. The collection provides a potential "teaching moment" on the "abc's of prejudice!"

But my strong opinion is that these tales UNFILTERED could be harmful to Roma children, still developing their identities and their self-esteem. Stories about Gypsy "thieves and liars" before bed are not what a parent would want their child dosing off to.

One alternative is that the next edition of this book could list the tales that reinforce negative stereotypes, or provide a code of some sort for parents, letting them know which tales to pass over. Another alternative would be that the next edition for children could simply exclude tales that could be harmful in reinforcing prejudices.

This is an extremely valuable collection of tales, but it truly has limitations. Caution parents!